


Night Terrors

by for-the-glory-of-dragons (forthegloryofdragons)



Series: Jlaire Week July 2nd - July 8th 2018 [2]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-04 17:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15152207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forthegloryofdragons/pseuds/for-the-glory-of-dragons
Summary: Claire gets an unexpected visitor one night, and he's just looking for some company.





	Night Terrors

**Author's Note:**

> Jlaire Week Prompt #2: Monsters
> 
> This takes place some time in Part 2.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Claire.” 

Something poked her shoulder. She reached for her blanket and pulled it up to her chin.

“Claire.” Not now. She opened an eye. It was still dark. She still had hours to go until she had to be up. She shut her eyes again.

Something — no, someone — prodded her in the side, making her squirm uncomfortably. Couldn’t she just get a good night’s sleep for once?

“Claire, _please._ ”

She sighed. She wasn’t getting anymore sleep. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking to get them adjusted to the darkness. She squinted at the figure kneeling beside her bed.

“Jim?” She looked at the clock. “What are you doing here? It’s two in the morning.” Late nights had become a frequent occurrence for her, so she treasured every bit of sleep she could get. Trollhunting was mostly a night-time job, after all. They had gone through a full day of training that day, so with Blinky’s approval, they’d trudged home, completely worn out. 

Claire shifted a little and patted the space beside her, inviting him to sit with her. She ignored the fact that she was in her pyjamas, as she watched him drag himself up onto the mattress with great effort. He gave her a small smile in thanks and looked away. She furrowed her brows. 

“Are we needed in Trollmarket again? I just need a minute to— “

He shook his head and held a hand out to stop her as she moved to tear the blanket off herself. When he looked up again, he was blinking back tears. “You weren’t picking up your phone,” he said, his voice trembling.

Confused, she reached over him for her phone, leaving one hand one his shoulder. Unlocking it, she found five missed calls from him. “I left my ringer off by accident.”

He drew his knees up on the bed and curled into himself. Claire set her phone back down and ran her hand up and down his arm to comfort him.

He had come running to her home in the middle of the night because she hadn’t answered his calls. He needed her, and so help her if she wasn’t going to be there for him.

Following her gut, she reached out to hold his hand. Normally, he would get all flustered, which was adorable. _He_ was adorable. But he didn’t so much as flinch at the contact. “Jim?”

His shoulders shook, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Nightmare.” He paused to take another breath. “You and Toby, you…” His voice trailed off.

“Oh.” She didn’t need him to finish. Her hand fell back down to rest on her lap. 

“I called Toby, and he was fine.” He turned to her with tired, puffy eyes. “But you weren’t picking up and I got scared, and I’m sorry— “

She shushed him and threw her arms around him as he broke down, mumbling quiet apologies and leaving wet stains on her night shirt. She held him against her chest as he sobbed, keeping him as close to her as possible. He didn’t protest. He simply leaned into her embrace and cried.

She was worried her parents would hear them, but she tried to forget about the risk for his sake. They’d deal with the consequences later if they found out.

A thought crossed her mind. “How did you get here?”

“Your window,” he muttered. “Sorry.”

“Stop that,” she chided, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. “I’d rather you use the window than the door. My parents would kill me.”

_“Claire,”_ he whined.

She chuckled nervously at her slip of the tongue. “Metaphorically speaking.”

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and closed his eyes. His breath tickled her neck as he spoke. “I was always afraid of monsters in my closet.”

“What?” She pulled her head back to look at him. He shifted so he could lean on her shoulder instead of her neck. She kept an arm around him and used her other to hold his free hand. “What does that have to do with this?”

“It feels like such a stupid fear when the real _monster_ could actually be in Arcadia,” he sniffled. “I’m scared.” He looked up at her pleadingly. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“And you won’t,” she promised. She helped him sit up straight so she could look him in the eyes. “It’s not like we don’t all have our own monsters to face,” she said with a shrug. “Yours... just happens to be more literal than others. And it’s not like you’re alone.”

“I don’t want— “

“We will be by your side the entire time, whether you like it or not,” she insisted.

He pulled the amulet from his pocket. It glowed, the soft light pulsing like a heartbeat, a reminder that it was bound to him. “It chose me.” 

“And you chose to let us help you,” she reminded him. “That’s just what we’re doing.”

He breathed a laugh and turned back to her, pocketing the amulet. “What would I do without you?”

Claire yawned.

“Guess I should let you sleep,” he chuckled and squeezed her hand. He yawned as well.

“You and me both,” she replied, settling back down against her pillows. “I’d let you stay but— “

“I don’t think my position as Trollhunter would save me,” he agreed. He stood up and pulled her blanket up, tucking her in comfortably. She snuggled in deeper. “Claire, I’m really sorry.” 

“I’m glad you came to check on me,” she said, dismissing his apology. “It was nice.”

He smiled. He brushed her hair back behind her ear. “Good night.”

She hummed. “Good night, Jim.”


End file.
